Metal-cutting apparatus.



B. E. BOSLER & W. L. McMEANS.

METAL CUTTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 11m. 21. 1916.

1,182,1 35. Patented May 9, 1916.

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METAL-CUTTING APPABA'QUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 27, 1916. Serial No. 74,536. a

tion of the invention, such as will enable others' skilled-in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

7 Our invention relates to a metal cutting machine which is particularly adapted to cut square, rectangular, polygonal, or other bars with projecting or angular portions when viewed in cross section, one of the particular features of our invention being means adapted to gradually feed the tools into the projecting corners of the work,

whereby the proper depth of cut is assured on these portions, and after the base of the out has become substantially cylindrical, the regulating or retarding means are not used and the fluid pressure, which is adapted to project the cutting tools into the work, is utilized to its full extent.

Our machine is particularly adapted to that class of machines in which thecutting tools are projected into their work by yielding pressure as exemplified in our-prior patent entitled Apparatus for cutting metals, Number 1,164,593,v dated December 14th, 1915.

For the sake of simplicity of description and illustration we will confine these hereequally well by our tool.

en a square bar is mounted in a lathe or other tool adapted to rotate it about its axis, and cutting tools are presented to and fed into it to shape it or cut it off, these tools, if projected forward by fluid pressure, wo d, as the bar rotates, contact with those pertions of its sides'nearest the center of the bar and this feed would, therefore, be entirely too great for' the tools, and as the projecting portions or corners of the bars contact with the tools during the rota-' tion of the bar, this would either make a ragged and deep cut, break the tools or bend the bar. A tool, if projectedagainst a rectangular or square.bar by uncontrolled fluid pressure, would, as the bar rotates, quickly contact with the side of the bar nearest its center, and as the bar continues its rotation, the tool would be forced to make a cut entirely too deep and ragged and would either breakthe bar or tool or bendthe bar. 'Our Patented May 9, 1916.

invention provides for this by regulating the feed of the tool during the time'when it is cutting the extending or angular portions of the bar, and we accomplish this by allowing .fluid, preferably a noncompressible or nonexpansive fluigl, to be forced gradually from the inner end of the fluid 4 pressure cylinder. by the fluidpressure acting in the outer end of the cylinder. This flow offluid from the inner end of the cylinder is controlled by means of a needle valve which can be set so as to allow the tool to be fed in gradually with any speed desired. Whenthe tool is fed in this manner until the portion with which it contacts,

is substantially cylindrical, the valve con trolliu the fluid which is being forced from t e inner end of the cylinder or another quick opening valve is opened wide, thus allowing the tool to be fed forward by the fluid pressure in the outer end of the cylinder, whereby the tool is fed against its work with a yielding resistance, dependent upon the pressure. This control of the feed may be in the inner end of the feeding cylinder or an auxiliary'cylinder may be used,

whichever seems most desirable.

Having thus given a general description of our invention, we will now, in order to make the matter more clear, refer to the annexed sheet of drawings in which like characters refer to like parts.

' Figure 1 is an end elevation of-our metal cutting apparatus showing .a square bar with cuttin tools adjusted againstthe corners thereo this drawing also showing the fluid-pressure cylinders which are adapted to force the tools into their work andto retract them therefrom, and it also shows our auxiliary or controlling fluid-pressure cylinders which are adapted-to regulate the feed of the toolsrinto the work until such time as the cross section, on which they operate, becomes substantially cylindrical. This" drawing also illustrates a fluid supply tank and a portion of the bed or slide-ways of a lathe or other tool, on which our apparatus is motmted. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but without the auxiliary or regulating fluid cylinders, the regulating in and adapted to project the tools into and retract them from their work, the cutting tools being indicated as 8.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, 9 isan auxiliary regulating cylinder provided with a piston 10, the" inner end of said cylinder being filled with fluid, preferably a noncompressible one such as oil or water, although we may use compressible fluid therein if desired. The regulating cylinders 10 are secured to the cylinders 6 by means of the bolts and distance pieces 11, and are connected to the fluid supply tank 12 containing'the fluid 13 by the pipe 14. 15is a needle valve capable of fine regulation located in the pipe 14, and 16 is a byass pipe, around said needle valve, While 1 is a quick acting fullopening valve in saidby-pass. Fluid supply pipes connected tothe various cylinders 9 are indicated as 18. Fluid supply pipes connected to the outer ends of the actuating cylinders 6 are indicated as 19, these being provided with valves 20 for opening, closing and regulating the supply of fluid therethrough. Connected to the inner ends of the actuating cylinders 6 are the fluid supply pipes 21 which are controlled by the valves 22 in the various positions, as illustrated.

The main fluid supply pipes for the cylin-- ders 6 are illustrated as 23 and 24 connected to any suitable source of fluid pressure, and

these are operated by means of the threeway valves 25 and 26, these valves being connected together by the links 27 and 28 so that they may be operated. in a proper manner simultaneously to supply fluid 'to the Referring ndw to Fig. 2, the fluid-pres sure actuating cylinders in this illustration are indicated as 3Q with pistons 31, piston rods 32, to which are connected the cutting tools.33, which cutting tools are similar 111- all respects to the cutting tools of Fig. 1. 34 is a fluid supply tank, 35 the fluid therein, 36 is the controlling pipe provided with a needle valve 37 capable of very fine adjust- .ment, while 38 is a main pipe connected with the tank 34, provided with a quick acting full-opening valve 39, capable of desired.

closing or wide opening as desired, 40 is the supply pipe to the inner ends of the cylinders 30 from the tank 34. I

The bar to be cut is illustrated in both drawings as 41 and the opening in the slide casing through which it passes is indicated as 42. As illustrated in Fig. 2, we may also provide a pipe connection 43 with a controlling and regulating valve 44 leading to a source of pressure supply of higher pressure than that which might be produced from the tank 34. The tanks 12 and 34, howeier, may be placed at any convenient height suitable to give any pressure that may be As illustrated in Fig. 1, the heads or outer ends of the fluid-pressure cylinders 9 are provided with openings theret-hrough into which are fitted nipples 45, which may also be provided with regulating valves, as

' fluid only in the inner ends of the cylinders 30, weshut the valves and 26 which control the supply of elastic fluid to the inner ends of these cylinders and use the pipes 40 connecting with. the tank 34.containing the incompressible fluid, or with the pipe 43 which connects to the source of incompressible fluid under pressure greater than that which can be furnished from the tank 34.

The operation of our apparatus is as follows :Referring first to the form illustrated in Fig. 1, a bar 41 is placed in position, as shown, the tools 8 are set so as to just touch the corners of the bar, this ad-', justment being accomplished by causing fluid under pressure to enter the outer ends of the cylinders 6 to the required amount, thus projecting the tools tothe position desired. The valve 17 is now closed and the needle valve 15 is slightly opened so that ,the fluid under pressure in the outer ends of the cylinders 6 will cause the pistons to 'move inward, thereby projecting the tools toward and into the/bar. As the bar revolves, a space is formed between the ends of the tools and the sides of the bar, but the fluid in the inner ends of the cylinders 9 does not'allow the tools to be fed in too fast but only to the extent desired, which can be regulated by the opening of the needle valve 15. Therefore,- as the bar revolves, the corners thereof will be gradually cut to the depth desired. After the'tools 8 have cut the corners or projections of the bar and approach toward the center of same until the portion with which they contact is substantially cylindrical, which will be when the cut coincides with a circle inscribed in the square, the valve 17 is opened wide so that the piston 10 is no longer regulated nor retarded, thus allowing the tools to feed into the work by fluid pressure in the outer ends of,the cylinders 6, and the cut is finished in this manner.

Referring now to the form illustrated in Fig. 2:-The operation is very similar except that the fluid in the inner ends of the cylinders 30 is, during the time when the corners of the bar are being cut, controlled by the needle valve 37 which is open to the extent required for this purpose, the valves and being open to admit fluid under pressure to the outer ends of these cylinders 30. As this is done, the fluid in the inner ends of the cylinder is very gradually forced out through the needle valve which regulates the speed of the movement of the pistons 31. After the tools are projected into the work until the corners are cut from the bar and the edges of the .tools are on the line of the circle inscribed within the cross section of the bar, the valve 39 is opened wide, after which the different tools are fed into their cuts by the fluid pressure in the outer ends of the cylinders until the cut is finished.

In either of these cases if. we desire to regulate the depth of the cut throughout the entire operation, we may, of course, do so by controlling the discharge of the fluid from the inner ends of the regulating cylinders 9, as illustrated in Fig. 1, or from the inner ends of the actuating cylinder 30, as illustrated inFig. 2. I,

Referring now to the cylinders 6 illustrated in Fig. 1, we prefer to operate the pistons in these cylinders and their attached parts by means of elastic fluid pressure such as air, steam or gas, as this gives a more direct yielding pressure than if we. use an incompressible fluid. We prefer, however, to use an incompressible fluid in the inner ends of the cylinders 9. of Fig.1, as this is more capable of close control for the purpose of retarding the inward feed of the tool when desired, this control being accomplished by setting the needle valve 15 to the degree of opening desired while the valve 17 in the by-pass is closed. Similarly we prefer to use incompressible fluid in the inner ends of the cylinders 30 of Fig. 2 and an elastic fluid in the outer ends of said cylinders for the same reasons as those just stated in connection with Fig. 1. We may, however, use

, compressible or incompressible fluids in any or all parts of these cylinders as'may be found desirable or suitable. Even though thew fluid be incompressible, the source of pressure to said fluid, such as a pump, tank, or other means, will, of course, have a maxi- 6 mum unit pressure beyond which pressure cannot be supplied and the reaction or backward pressure of the tools or other portions may overcome said ressure so that although an incompressible uid is used, it will supply a yielding pressure to the tools. I

Although we have shown and described our invention in considerable detail, we do not w1sh to be limited to the exact and specific details shown and described, but may use such substitution, modifications or equivalents thereof as are embraced within the scope of our invention or as pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a metal cutting apparatus, a cutting the feed is determined, and means for eliminating the opposition as desired.

3. In a metal cutting tool provided with fluid pressure means acting directly thereon to yieldingly feed it into the work, noncompressible fluid means acting in opposition to the first-mentioned fluid pressure means, with means for controlling the flow thereof, whereby the extent of the cut is determined, and means for eliminating the opposition.

4. In a metal cutting tool provided with fluid pressure means adapted to yieldingly feed it into the work, a fluid pressure apparatus connected to the tool aforesaid and provided with regulating means for permitting escape of fluid therefrom, whereby the extent of the feed is regulated, and means for eliminating the opposition as desired.

5. Ametal cutting tool provided with fluid pressure means adapted to feed it into the work, other fluid pressure, apparatus connected with said tool provided withmeans for closely regulating the discharge of fluid therefrom, whereby the extent of the feed is regulated as desired, and other means for permitting the free discharge offluid from the said apparatus, whereby its governing action is eliminated.

6. In a metal cutting tool a fluid-pressure actuated piston acting directly upon the tool to yieldingly force it lnto-the work, noncompressible fluid means acting on the other side of said piston with means for regulating the discharge therefrom to regulate the feed of said tool, and means for permitting the free discharge of said noncompressible fluid when desired, whereby said regulation of the feed is eliminated.

7. A cutting tool, connected With a piston mounted in a fluid-pressure cylinder, provided with elastic fluid under pressure adapted to project the tool into the WOIk, a cylinder containing noncompressible fluid acting in opposition to said elastic fluid means, adapted to control the discharge of said noncompressible fluid, and means for eliminating said opposition as desired.

8. A cutting tool connected with a piston mounted in a cylinder provided with elastic fluid under pressure adapted to project the tool into the work, a noncompressible fluid 1F acting in opposition to said elastic fluid means, means for controlling the flow of said noncompressible fluid, and means for eliminating said opposition as desired.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aifix 20 our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN E. BOSLER. WILLIAM L. MCMEANS.

\Vitnesses:

OLIVER B. HICKOX, LEONARD A. Snrrz, Jr. 

